Uganda president publicly criticizes the press

New York, May 18, 2011--The Committee to Protect Journalists condemns President Yoweri Museveni for
publically criticizing local and foreign media outlets. Museveni expressed
anger over the outlets' coverage of protests
by the opposition over rising fuel prices. In a letter published Tuesday
in the state-owned daily New Vision, Museveni accused
Al-Jazeera, the BBC,
the Kenyan broadcaster NTV, and the local independent Daily Monitor of being supporters of recent opposition protests and
"enemies of Uganda's recovery."

Last week, Museveni also
accused journalists of "biased
and malicious" reporting of the opposition protests during a press
conference, local journalists told CPJ. The inspector gneral of police, Maj.
Gen. Kale Kayihura, chimed similar accusations in another press conference on
Sunday, even referring to NTV as "a propaganda mouth-piece of certain forces in this country."

Accusing
the protestors and their supporters of purposely destroying the nation's
economy, Museveni told the press that a
constitutional amendment will be made to prohibit bail for charges of
economic sabotage, according to local reports.

"These
public accusations against the press and plans to amend the constitution are
designed for one purpose only: to silence the press from covering the
opposition," said CPJ East Africa Consultant Tom Rhodes. "Such statements will
further encourage the president's supporters to continue intimidating and
attacking journalists carrying out their professional duties. These statements
must be retracted immediately."

Since
the opposition led protests against rising fuel prices began on April 11,
police and security officials have beaten at least 20 local and foreign
journalists for covering the protests, according to CPJ. Violence against the
press was particularly
brutal on May 12, during the swearing-in ceremony of Museveni and a protest
march by the Forum for Democratic Change opposition leader, Kizza Besigye where
authorities beat at least 10 journalists and confiscated equipment, local
journalists told CPJ.